Q&A

At the Bauma conference in late October, Liebherr displayed two prototype hydrogen-fueled engines, the H964 and H966, to showcase its hydrogen-engine technology. Each prototype employed a different hydrogen injection technology, direct injection (DI) and port fuel injection (PFI). Liebherr states that it has made “significant investment” into the development of its hydrogen engines and test facilities and has been testing these engines since 2020.

The first machine to be powered by one of these engines is the Liebherr R 9XX H2 crawler excavator, which is fitted with the H966 6-cylinder motor with PFI. The 4-cylinder engine prototype, the H964, is equipped with a DI system, which offers increased performance in combustion efficiency and power density. TOHE interviewed Liebherr's Ulrich Weiss, managing director of components and combustion engines, at Bauma to discuss the company's investment and development of hydrogen ICEs, their advantages over other forms of alternative propulsion, and the challenges that lay ahead for industry-wide adaptation of this technology.